tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55961544438893370292024-03-05T04:56:00.372-05:00PMP Author InsightsInsights and provocative thoughts on marketing, qualitative and quantitative marketing research, advertising, branding, and human resources from the authors and editors of books published by Paramount Market Publishing.Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-19714392299510955642014-06-02T16:15:00.000-04:002014-06-02T16:20:13.630-04:00Take a second look at Boomer womenDespite Goggle's recent admission that only about 30 percent of its labor force is female, women are still a vital part of the labor force. Women bring in half or more of the income in 55 percent of U.S. households. In corporations, women are 50 percent of managers and professionals, 58 percent of purchasing agents and managers, and 53 percent of wholesale and retail buyers. In the small business area, women have accounted for 70 percent of all privately held startups over the last 15 years. And, in most households, they are the "Chief Purchasing Officer."<br />
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PMP author, Marti Barletta, in her just re-released book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/marketing-primetime-women" target="_blank">Marketing to PrimeTime Women</a>, notes that women aged 50 to 70 have enormous economic clout, in part because many of them have kept working well into their 70s.<br />
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In a detailed profile of women in their fifties and sixties that includes not only demographic data, but also qualitative and quantitative survey data, Barletta reveals that households with people aged 45 to 64 have higher incomes than the national average as well as greater net worth.<br />
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Says Barletta, "Marketers who miss the opportunity this customer presents are trapped in outdated stereotypes." She writes, "It baffles me when I read that marketers are worried that their customer base is 'older,' that they are desperate to reach younger consumers, that they are willing to pay substantially more for media that reaches younger people, that programmers and content developers are scrambling to develop properties to deliver younger audiences. ..."<br />
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The numbers show that the real money is in the Prime-Time market. These women will have enormous economic clout for the foreseeable future, and they have the experience and wisdom to spend that money with confidence. <br />
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<br />Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-4007483628950946932014-02-12T16:05:00.000-05:002014-02-12T16:05:32.477-05:00Why Corporate Branding Is Critical, and How To Do ItMost of what is presented about branding deals with high profile consumer brands like automobiles, mobile devices, and packaged goods. If you have responsibility for a corporate brand, you may have noticed the void in information about B2B company brands and branding. And discussions about consumer branding may be interesting, but they are not particularly relevant to you as a B2B marketer.<br />
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A <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/people-powered-brand" target="_blank">new book </a>from veteran B2B marketers and strategists, Chris Wirthwein and Joe Bannon, gives leaders at all levels a new and more practical way to think about, build, and sustain a powerful B2B <i>corporate</i> brand, by tapping into the power of all the people in an organization, from the top to the shop floor. Since the purchase of B2B products is usually a so-called "considered purchase,"--one that may take several months and require the buyer to review lots of information, it is imperative that all corporate employees use a consistent message about the brand.<br />
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Wirthwein and Bannon note that the corporate brand is important because in most cases it represents the highest order asset of an organization. It touches, involves, and influences more people, both inside and outside the company, than any other "property" the company owns. Many believe it creates more value for a corporation than any other asset.<br />
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In <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/people-powered-brand" target="_blank"><i>The People Powered Brand</i></a>, Wirthwein and Bannon, provide a step-by-step blueprint that will allow you to transform a B2B brand and the culture that surrounds it. Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-68291653948175745352013-06-07T08:49:00.001-04:002013-06-09T15:51:00.086-04:00General Mills "gets" it; their critics don't<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pepper Miller, author of <i><a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/black-matters-two-volume-set" target="_blank">Black Still Matters in Marketing</a>,</i> and co-author of <i><a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/black-matters-two-volume-set" target="_blank">What's Black About It?</a> </i>has this to say on the recent brouhaha about the appearance of a bi-racial child and her white mother and black father in a short television advertisement for Cheerios. When the ad appeared on YouTube, many people decided the company was fair game for criticism. Pepper writes:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rather
than aiming criticism at General Mills for using a brief advertisement
for Cheerios that features a bi-racial child, her white mother,
and black father, executives at General Mills should be applauded.
The people who are critical are living in a fantasy world where
the only intact, deserving families are white and middle class. The
executives at General Mills "get" that the United States, indeed the
world, is changing and that younger generations could care less about
the color of someone's skin or their sexual orientation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">This
advertisement is one of several shorts for Cheerios that show children
in all types of families and engaging in all kinds of cute behavior
with the intent of bringing smiles to the faces of those who view
them. In the one being criticized, the little girl asks her mother if it is true that Cheerios help the heart. Her mom confirms that the box says that it does. The next frame shows dad waking up from a nap with Cheerios, much to his surprise, sprinkled on the left side of his chest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Another of these commercials shows a mother coming</span><span style="font-size: small;"> downstairs
to find a trail of Cheerios on the floor. It leads to her</span><span style="font-size: small;"> little
girl (white mother, white child) sitting at a small table happily
eating her breakfast. Mom says something like, "I see you made<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>your
own breakfast?" and the little girl replies, "How do you know?"<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>Nobody
seems to be criticizing that commercial because Mom didn't make<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>breakfast
or the little girl made a mess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">All
people like to see themselves reflected in print, TV, and social media
advertising. Wise marketers make every effort to include a variety
of different scenarios, races, ethnic groups, and families. People
who agree with General Mills' approach should not allow themselves
to be drowned out by the critics. The U.S. is changing and </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">those
who refuse to get it will find themselves left behind.</span></div>
<br />Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-50643293680034373632013-05-21T12:30:00.003-04:002013-05-21T12:30:49.128-04:00The Business of BeliefTom Asacker is one of Paramount's best selling and most prolific authors, who always has something insightful and provocative to share with his readers.<br />
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His latest book, <i><b>The Business of Belief: How the World Best Marketers, Designers, Salespeople, Coaches, Fundraisers, Educators, Entrepreneurs, and Other Leaders Get Us to Believe</b> </i>(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1483922979/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1483922979&linkCode=as2&tag=parambooks01-20" target="_blank">view listing on amazon.com</a>), pulls back the curtains of the working mind to reveal the hidden logic to what motivates behavior in ourselves and others. <br />
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"Belief is what makes an action familiar and safe, ultimately driving a particular choice or decision," says Asacker. "Understanding the beliefs and desires of your audience is critical to successfully influence them in today's environment that is overwhelmed with complexity and choice."<br />
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Asacker draws on subjects as diverse as Sherlock Holmes and the Burkini, Mother Teresa and Jackie Robinson, and provides examples of how legendary leaders like Steve Jobs and Howard Schultz have moved people as well as how we can be more conscious of our own decisions and increase our chances for success.<br />
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Tom Peters, management consultant and author, called <i>The Business of Belief</i> "profound." He said, "Every sentence should be savored."<br />
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Anyone who has ever heard Tom Asacker speak knows that he draws his inspiration from a variety of sources and shares that inspiration in ways that are unforgettable. And if you have never had the opportunity to hear him speak, buy and read <i>The Business of Belief</i> and you will understand more about why you believe what you do. <br />
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<br />Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-14630883741739647952013-05-13T10:44:00.000-04:002013-05-13T11:28:15.086-04:00Growing Diversity Means More Multi-racial People and Families<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The growing diver<span style="font-size: small;">sity of the United States inevi<span style="font-size: small;">tably leads to <span style="font-size: small;">a growing number of bi- and multi-racial individuals and families. The May 12th edit<span style="font-size: small;">ion of NPR's <span style="font-size: small;">Weekend news program examine<span style="font-size: small;">d the<span style="font-size: small;"> growing tr<span style="font-size: small;">end in a story entitled, </span></span></span><a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=183430945" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=183430945" target="_blank">"Checking m<span style="font-size: small;">ore than one box: A growi<span style="font-size: small;">ng multiracial <span style="font-size: small;">nation</span></span></span></a></span><a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=183430945" target="_blank">.</a><a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=183430945" target="_blank">"</a><br />
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In part, the story, from Minnesota Public Radio, reports, "It's not just that there are more multiracial and
biracial people. The government is now counting the group differently.
For the first time in modern history, the 2000 Census allowed us to
check off more than one box for race."<br />
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"The last Census showed 9 million people, about 3 percent
of the population, reporting more than one race. That's an increase of
one-third from the decade before.<br />
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"'The youngest age group, kids under 5 [years old], 7
percent are identified as having more than one race group,' says Jeffrey
Passel, a senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center. 'If we look at
the elderly, over 65, it's only 1 percent.'<br />
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"That means more people are choosing spouses outside
their own race. The change, Passel says, comes from evolving attitudes.
Over the past few decades, he says more people have simply come to view
intermarriage as no big deal."<br />
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Younger people are even more likely than older generations to accept bi-racial marriages within their own families and among their friends.<br />
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This growing trend presents a new challenge for marketers. Several authors of books by Paramount Market Publishing include information about bi-racial individuals and their unique set of circumstances and perspectives. You may want to check out <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers/black-matters-marketing" target="_blank"><b><i>Black Still Matters in Marketing</i></b></a> by Pepper Miller or Miriam Muley's excellent book on marketing to women of color, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers/85-niche" target="_blank"><i><b>The 85 % Niche</b></i></a>. Or explore other titles on <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers" target="_blank"><b>multicultural consumers</b></a> on PMP's website. Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-16942870938373047612013-05-06T16:34:00.002-04:002013-05-07T10:53:17.045-04:00Help Your College Grad Find a Job in AdvertisingEverybody knows that the job market is tough right now. But, Young & Rubicam Advertising Agency in New York thinks it may be missing some of the best and the brightest because college grads aren't especially skilled in interviewing.<br />
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Along comes Belle Frank, a long time executive at Y&R, with a wealth of experience interviewing. In her just-released book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/advertising-ramp" target="_blank"><b>The Advertising On-Ramp: Getting your first advertising job</b></a>, she tells graduates in communications, advertising, and marketing as well as those in liberal arts exactly what she hopes to find in a job candidate. And she tells them how to construct a resume and prepare for an interview.<br />
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What <b>do</b> she and her colleagues look for?<br />
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A person that they would like to have on their team—someone who is likeable and brings a winning personality to the table. Someone who can differentiate him or herself from all the other candidates.<br />
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Someone who has work experience, whether in retail, construction, or any other job. Job experience tells Belle that the candidate knows what it means to get to work on time and put in a full day's work.<br />
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She is also looking for someone who can collaborate, with a team, and with the agency's clients. She is looking for someone with patience and resilience because most campaigns are revised many times before they finally see print, the web, or the airwaves. No "loners" need apply.<br />
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With brevity, clarity, stories, and humor, Belle Frank tells it like it is. <br />
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If you know a young person who wants to work in advertising or even someone older who wants to make the switch into advertising, this book is a must-read. Just in time for a useful graduation gift!<br />
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<br />Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-6537683761687973792013-03-21T10:12:00.003-04:002013-03-21T15:52:02.838-04:00Blacks Overindex in Using Mobile Devices for Shopping and Online ViewingReaders of Pepper Miller's latest book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/black-matters-marketing" target="_blank">Black STILL Matters in Marketing</a> were not surprised by new data from <a href="http://prosperdiscovery.com/black-consumers" target="_blank">Prosper Insights and Analytics </a>that show that Black consumers aged 18 and over index higher than the general population when it comes to using their mobile phones for shopping and viewing online content.<br />
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In Ms. Miller's book, she and co-writer, Kevin Walker of CultureLab
write extensively about Black media and how its various forms are being
used by Black consumers. Among their comments: "Internet access for
many African Americans is not on the computer. Due to several factors,
including availability and cost, internet access by African Americans
has sidestepped the desktop and laptop for the cell phone."<br />
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For example, Miller
cites Pew Research that shows that 44 percent of African-American teens
use their cell phones to access the internet vs. 35 percent and 21
percent of Latino and White teens, respectively.<br />
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Prosper found that Blacks over index in such behaviors as checking in to get a discount, comparing prices on various websites, and reading product reviews among others. Overall, Black consumes have a mobile aptitude index of 127, indicating that they have a higher mobile capacity (+27) than the general population of adults. Prosper reported that Blacks are also more likely than the general population to view content such as TV, sports, and news on their mobile devices. You can find specifics on the Prosper findings by clicking on the link above.<br />
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As usual, readers of <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/" target="_blank">Paramount Market Publishing</a> books get an early "heads up" on new trends in consumer behavior with insights and wisdom about how to take advantage of those trends before their non-reading competition catches up. <br />
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<br />Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-61953906222674479202013-02-20T11:45:00.000-05:002013-02-21T17:09:27.487-05:00Hispanic Men: An overlooked opportunity?Marketers may find a new target of opportunity in Hispanic men. An article in <a href="http://www.csnews.com/top-story-marketing-hispanic_men_offer_opportunities_for_marketers-62830.html" target="_blank">Convenience Store News</a> reports on research from Mintel that 55 percent of Hispanic fathers are the top decision makers about household purchases. Meanwhile, most marketers focus their efforts primarily on Hispanic women, assuming that since white women are often the top decision makers in their households when it comes to household purchases, the same holds true in Hispanic households.<br />
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In <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/hispanic-stategies-business-grow">Win the Hispanic Market </a> several contributing authors discuss the attitudes of Hispanic shoppers, especially when it comes to groceries. Whereas, the Mintel research found that Hispanic men are brand loyal and willing to pay more for grocery brands that they believe are more effective than bargain brands, it also found that only 69 percent of Hispanic men had purchased food products in the last 12 months, compared with 83 percent of their white counterparts, 81 percent of Asian and 71 percent of Black counterparts. <br />
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To access the original article in Convenience Store News, click the link above. <br />
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<br />Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-42864753139932748452013-02-20T11:27:00.000-05:002013-02-20T11:27:12.355-05:00The Tide StoryWe'd like to draw your attention to three articles in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/01/14/why-would-drug-dealers-use-tide-as-a-currency/tide-is-an-affordable-status-symbol">New York Times</a> that discuss the iconic brand Tide and why it has become street currency. The story is that bottles of Tide detergent are now being shoplifted so often that many stores have the bottles "locked up" in some way so that patrons have to ask for help to buy it.<br />
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Three articles in the New York Times comment on this phenomena with one asserting that the brand is valued because of its long-time positioning by Procter & Gamble as the best detergent brand used by the most caring moms. Another asserts that it is a luxury that poor people can afford and because of its brand status, makes them feel "normal." The third article says that shoplifting Tide makes no more sense that stealing some other product that could easily be sold on the street.<br />
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It is clear that Procter & Gamble's efforts to make Tide a highly desirable detergent has succeeded in many ways—some beneficial to the product and some not so beneficial. However, we would note one thing: Today's Tide advertisements on television still focus on Moms and Dads being good parents when they use Tide to keep their children in clean clothes. The iconic brand and its message continue to resonate with families around the world, especially as that small luxury most people can afford. Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-54186986908181616902013-01-15T10:47:00.000-05:002013-02-20T17:27:20.504-05:00Why Authenticity MattersThe importance of <b>authenticity</b> to multicultural consumers has been a constant theme among the authors of PMP books about those consumers. We are proud that PMP authors have been in the forefront of recognizing authenticity and what it means to the multicultural community.<br />
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Perhaps authenticity is so important to reaching multicultural consumers because so often they have often felt lied to, but Pepper Miller, David Morse, Teneshia Jackson, Erin Patton, Isabel Valdes, Cristina Benitez, and Miriam Muley (in no particular order) have all stressed in their books the importance of having an authentic voice and message, not something conjured up just to celebrate Black History Month or Hispanic Heritage Month.<br />
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The good news is that multicultural consumers recognize authenticity when they see it and reject positions that are designed to pander to them and their interests. As consumers that may make them a more difficult group to reach, but companies and their marketers who understand the authentic component as a critical part of their messaging have a much better chance of success. Moreover, multicultural employees are an important part of conveying an authentic voice. <i><br /></i><br />
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Just saying you care about multicultural consumers or adding a few brown faces into your advertisements does not convey authenticity. You can learn more by reading any of the <span id="goog_353530070"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">multicultural titles at Paramount Market Publishing. </a><br />
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<br />Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-64218527193345016112013-01-03T14:45:00.000-05:002013-01-03T14:45:14.513-05:00 PMP's Pam Danziger Named to Luxury Daily's List of "Luxury Women to Watch 2013"Pam Danziger, president and founder of luxury-focused marketing and consulting firm Unity Marketing and author of two PMP titles, has been named to Luxury Daily's inaugural list of "Luxury Women to Watch 2013." She joins an elite group of 25 leaders in the luxury marketing arena, whose members are drawn from luxury retailers and brand, media executives, service providers, and marketing researchers and agencies.<br /><br />According to <i>Luxury Daily </i>Editor-in-Chief Mickey Alam Khan, "the 25 executives who make the cut shared the same qualities: dedication to craft, consumer focus, ambition, leadership potential, [and serving as] educator and role model. Above all, they are focused on the larger picture and not getting mired in the weeds."<br /><br />Danziger was selected in part due to Unity Marketing's focus on drilling deeply into the behavior and motivations of the affluent consumer, a small population with a big impact on the luxury marketplace and the economy in general. "While there are ways of using Big Data to track consumer behavior, nothing can truly replace the power of one-on-one interviews with consumers," she says. "That, in a nutshell, is my special challenge: valuable consumer insights about the luxury consumers are hard to come by and costly to obtain. Yet they are critical to the success of those who market to this small but important group."<br /><br />Danziger takes a personal approach to marketing research, gathering data through a series of in-depth quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews and video tours to generate new perspectives about why, when, and how affluent consumers purchase luxury goods and services. She insists on personal conversations and observations of luxury consumers and the way they live their lives to better understand how they make purchase decisions, in order to communicate actionable information and advice to marketers to help them be more successful in reaching these high-value customers.<br />
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Many of the insights gained from her work appear in her book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/putting-luxe-back-luxury"><b><i>Putting the Luxe Back in Luxury</i></b></a>.<br /><br />
The personal approach is reflected in her quarterly Luxury Tracking Study, where she surveys over 1,200 affluent consumers about their purchase behavior over the past quarter and purchase plans for the coming three months. Each quarterly survey includes a special investigation into an aspect of luxury consumer behavior that is of special relevance to luxury brands, such as the recent deep dive into the role of internet, social media and mobile devices in the luxury consumer's lifestyle entitled Affluents Online.<br /><br />"I am pleased to join this group of influencers selected by <i>Luxury Daily</i>," says Danziger. "In 2013, I look forward to continuing to bring new perspectives and new understanding to luxury marketers about their customers, both their current customers and the millennial-generation customers they will meet in the future." Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-90694368412390937932012-11-26T15:57:00.000-05:002012-11-26T15:57:49.321-05:00Luxury Consumers Exhibit New ConfidenceAffluent consumer confidence had a strong upturn in the third quarter, according to an on-going tracking survey of luxury consumers by PMP author, Pam Danziger. As a result,
luxury consumers picked up their pace of shopping in the past quarter,
with luxury spending up 25.8 percent over last quarter. This according
to Unity Marketing's Luxury Tracking Survey conducted October 9-15, 2012
among 1,289 affluent consumers (avg. income $290.6k; avg. age 44
years.)<br />
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"The first half of 2012 showed affluent consumers restrained in
spending on luxury goods and services, but spending rebounded strongly
in the third quarter survey," Pam Danziger, president of Unity
Marketing and author of <em><a href="http://bitly.com/dmxV62">Putting the Luxe Back in Luxury: How new consumer values are redefining the way we market luxury</a></em>.
"Over half (52 percent) of affluent consumer surveyed feel they are
financially better off today than twelve months ago; this measure hasn't
been this high since 1Q2011. Rising even more sharply is the
percentage of luxury consumers who feel the country as a whole is doing
better now as compared with three months ago. Some 37 percent of
affluent surveyed feel the country is now moving in the right direction,
up 15 percentage points from last quarter," Danziger reports.<br />
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Rising affluent consumer confidence is sparking a pick up in spending
on luxuries, with these categories posting the strongest
quarter-over-quarter increase:<br />
<ul>
<li>Luxury clothing and apparel, with spending up 95.2 percent over second quarter;</li>
<li>Luxury kitchenware and cooks' tools, up 83.1 percent;</li>
<li>Luxury beauty, cosmetics, fragrances, up 75.4 percent;</li>
<li>Luxury dining, up 67.7 percent; and</li>
<li>Luxury fashion accessories, up 52.2 percent.</li>
</ul>
"Throughout 2011 and 2012, we have seen luxury consumer spending
mostly on a downward trajectory, with their feelings of consumer
confidence as measured by the Luxury Consumption Index (LCI) wavering
over the same period. Finally in the latest survey, we see a strong
measure of growing confidence which should give marketers from high-end
to mid-market a boost. After all the affluent consumers we survey are
the economy's 'heavy-lifters,' accounting for only 20 percent of U.S.
households but over 40 percent of all consumer spending," Danziger
explains.<br />
<br />Unity Marketing has been calculating the LCI since first quarter 2004
based upon five key measures of luxury consumer confidence including
their expectations for future spending on luxury, their personal
financial conditions and their overall assessment of the economy as a
whole, in surveys conducted every three months among over 1,200 affluent
luxury consumers. This quarter's luxury tracking survey, conducted
from October 9-15, 2012, took the measure of 1,289 luxury consumers
(average income $290.6k; avg. age 44 years; median net worth $797k.)<br />
Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-36458132349057720832012-11-06T11:02:00.000-05:002012-11-06T11:02:33.587-05:00Viewing General Media Doesn't Mean Abandoning Ethnic MediaMany marketers believe that if their target audience uses the general media, their messages do not need to appear in media that are targeted to specific ethnic audiences. PMP author, Pepper Miller, disagrees.<br />
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In her recently released book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers/black-matters-marketing">Black Still Matters in Marketing</a>, Miller writes "African Americans, both young and old are seeking and developing deeper connections with people like them in both online and offline media environments. Black Americans use general market media, but embrace Black media. Being comfortable with diverse media does not mean the abandonment of Black media. It's not one or the other, but both. [Media that targets multicultural consumers] means showing overtly that you are seeking a connection to particular consumer groups in their native settings, social media networks, and through their preferred entertainment."<br />
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Miller and the co-author of the chapter on Black media, Kevin Walker, CEO of CultureLab suggest specific TV channels and online blogs and portals that speak to Black Americans.<br />
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<a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers/black-matters-marketing">Black Still Matters in Marketing</a> is found at the PMP website as well as on Amazon and through other booksellers. Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-39302179395964751612012-11-02T09:56:00.001-04:002012-11-06T11:00:20.932-05:00Guidelines for PR with the New MediaAmong other very useful items in Teneshia Jackson Warner's just-released book,<a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers/profit-purpose"><i> Profit with Purpose: A Marketer's guide to Delivering Purpose-Driven Campaigns to Multicultural Audiences</i></a>, are seven steps for dealing with the new media scene.<br />
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The first is one that is timely and timeless, no matter what medium you are approaching with a public relations campaign. "<b>Make it easy for reporters</b>," writes Jackson Warner. "Journalists, like everyone, are hard pressed for time and the easier you make it for a reporter to write a story, the better your chances of clinching the deal."<br />
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2. <b>Buy an iPhone and/or an iPad</b>. With the media creating content for these platforms, you need to be personally familiar with them.<br />
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3. <b>Don't pitch via social media</b>. Eighty percent of journalists prefer to be contacted through email.<br />
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4. <b>Media outlets want more than just text</b>. They're looking for pictures and video too.<br />
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5. <b>Get to know journalists on social media platforms</b>. Follow their Tweets. But unless you know them personally don't 'friend' them on Facebook.<br />
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6. <b>Pitch the TV newsroom between eight and nine in the morning,</b> if possible, to precede the daily staff meeting. Unless it's breaking news, pitch your story a few days or a week ahead of time. TV journalists also want to speak to real people using your product, not just a CEO or spokesperson.<br />
<br />
7. <b>The old rules for pitching still apply</b>. Just because social media has rocked the boat doesn't mean it's a different boat. Hold fast to the traditional etiquete of introduction first and questions later.<br />
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Among other reader benefits, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers/profit-purpose"><i>Profit with Purpose</i></a> has hundreds of tips for dealing with celebrity endorsements, choosing partners to promote your purpose, and includes a guide to the causes with which specific celebrities are involved. <br />
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Click on the links above for a special money-saving offer on this new title. Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-15754139783811551162012-08-06T15:28:00.004-04:002012-08-06T15:28:55.354-04:00Danziger's Luxury Consumption Index Shows Decline in Confidence of Affluents<b>Confidence in the country is also slowing</b><br />
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In the third quarter 2012 luxury consumers got nervous about their financial status, causing <a href="http://www.unitymarketingonline.com/">Unity Marketing</a>'s exclusive Luxury Consumption Index (LCI), which measures affluent consumer confidence, to plummet. The LCI has proven a reliable leading economic indicator not just to the luxury consumer market, but the overall U.S. economy.<br /><br />Along with the drop in the LCI, luxury consumers cut back their level of luxury spending during the second quarter (April-June) by 8.2 percent from first quarter. The decline in spending was even more pronounced comparing year-over-year, down 26.9 percent. <br />
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Author Pamela Danziger (<a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/putting-luxe-back-luxury">Putting the Luxe Back in Luxury</a>) points to the recent quarterly release by leather goods maker Coach Inc (COH.N) as an example of a brand that seriously overestimated HENRY customers' willingness to spend. Coach tried to eliminate coupon promotions tied directly to its discount outlets, which are the company's biggest source of revenue, and which attract HENRY customers looking to stretch their dollars. This mistep led to Coach reporting weak same store sales growth in the quarter ending June 30, which then caused its stock to have its worst day on Wall Street since the 9/11 attacks. <br /><br />"The number of people willing and able to pay a premium for luxury brands, like Coach, is getting smaller as this weak economy continues. Our latest survey reveals that the affluent consumers believe things are only going to get worse, before they get better," Danziger cautions. <br /><br />In analysis of the latest downward slide in the LCI, Thomas Bodenberg, Unity Marketing's chief consumer economist, explains, "Several months back, market pundits told us that the 2007-2009 recession had run its course, and that it was only a matter of time before this event would have diffused into the consumer economy. However, this is NOT the case, borne out by consumer sentiment. Two factors are dominant: first is the interconnectedness of our global economy, as economic turmoil in Europe readily translates into uncertainty here. The second looming factor is the upcoming election, whose results will either drive or inhibit consumer sentiment and willingness to purchase."<br /><br />Unity Marketing has been calculating the LCI since first quarter 2004 based upon five key measures of luxury consumer confidence including their expectations for future spending on luxury, their personal financial conditions and their overall assessment of the economy as a whole, in surveys conducted every three months among over 1,200 affluent luxury consumers. This quarter's luxury tracking survey, conducted from July 6- 13 2012, took the measure of 1,271 luxury consumers (average income $274.8k; avg. age 44.8 years; median net worth $817k.)<br /><br /><b>>>Of special interest to political watchers: </b><br />This quarter the measure of the LCI that dropped the most was luxury consumer confidence in the direction of the country overall. Nearly one-third of the affluents surveyed believe the country is worse off now than it was three months ago. <br /><br />Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-62936509503491621102012-06-06T11:55:00.001-04:002012-06-06T11:55:38.784-04:00Pepper Miller Shares Insights with M2W audienceFor the second time, PMP author, Pepper Miller, President of The Hunter-Miller Group was voted best speaker by the standing-room-only audience of the 8th annual M2W conference in April 2012 at the Chicago Cultural Center. She also earned the award in 2005.<br />
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Pepper is the co-author of <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/what-039-s-black-about-it?"><i>What's Black About It</i></a> and author of the newly released, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/black-matters-marketing"> <i>Black STILL Matters in Marketing</i></a>.<br />
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In her presentation about what it means to be a Black woman in America today, she stressed that "Different is not Deficient." <br />
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Highlights included:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>The definition of the Black family is changing:</b> Seventy-three percent of all Black births are to single moms, but that doesn't mean they are bad moms.</li>
<li><b>A new generation of young, single, accomplished and childless Black women</b> are breaking stereotypes about Black women today.</li>
<li><b>Many Black women are delaying or foregoing childbearing.</b> In 2008, 39 percent of Black women aged 20 to 34 had no children compared with 34 percent of childless Black women in 2003.</li>
<li><b>The internet is not necessarily an equalizer.</b> Although Black women are all over the internet, they tend to congregate and share their stories in relevant online communities that make up the powerful, yet under-the-radar, Black social network and blogosphere. </li>
</ol>
Marketers who want to take advantage of these trends need to understand how to speak to Black women and where to find them. Pepper Miller's latest book, <i>Black Still Matters in Marketing</i>, addresses questions of respect and approach, and provides a detailed list of some of the best blogs and other media where marketers can appeal to both male and female customers.<br />
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On making the award to Pepper, Nan McCann, producer of M2W, said, "Once again, Pepper eloquently and compellingly presented insights on Black women that could be game changers for anyone charged with creating successful outcomes in any commercial, political or social enterprise. As one attendee wrote in an exit survey, 'She really brought the message home.'"<br />
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More information on the conference is available by visiting <a href="http://www.m2w.biz/">www.m2w.biz</a>.Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-71998219016329064632012-04-12T13:29:00.002-04:002012-04-16T16:37:33.509-04:00Why being "uncomfortable" may make you a better marketerIn the introduction to her new book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/black-matters-marketing"><i>Black STILL Matters in Marketing</i></a>, Pepper Miller comments on the need to be open to differences among customers, especially when you are trying to find real insights about your clientele. <br />
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Here is an excerpt from Pepper's introduction:<br />
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Real insights are more than light bulb moments. They are gleaned<br />
from opening up to people and situations that are completely different<br />
from our own. Experience is still the best teacher—more than reading<br />
or hearing about something.<br />
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Sometimes we have to embrace being uncomfortable to become comfortable<br />
with one another. I learned this with my first intern. I was open<br />
to working with him but I have to admit, I was also a little bit leery.<br />
“How is a person who just landed from China (literally) albeit an<br />
MBA candidate, with good English language and computer skills going<br />
to work on Black consumer trends?” I asked myself.<br />
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Thankfully my apprehension quickly faded after our first conversation.<br />
We were both excited. We immediately began to talk about cultural differences<br />
(with interest). I shared examples of Black nuances that helped<br />
shape successful marketing campaigns, and he shared his experiences<br />
with Black acquaintances. Later he told me that he had questions that<br />
he wanted to ask of his acquaintances (to get to know them better<br />
and understand the culture) but was afraid of being labeled insensitive,<br />
stupid, or a racist.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, we are the creators of the “class system” that we despise.<br />
We refuse to walk in others’ shoes, to attempt to see the world through<br />
their eyes. Instead, we try to force people to be more like us, to think<br />
like us. It is not something done maliciously. Many don’t even realize<br />
what they are doing.<br />
<br />
I’ve worked with a couple of clients who had products that were<br />
targeted to mid-to-lower-income customers. In those cases, African<br />
Americans represented a significant percentage of their businesses. We<br />
talked with this segment in focus groups and one-on-one interviews<br />
to learn about their needs, and when the customers spoke in their colloquial<br />
language and told stories about their lifestyle that didn’t fit with<br />
the clients’ upscale attitudes, the client was turned off.<br />
<br />
These marketers proceeded to craft marketing and advertising that<br />
totally ignored the language, stories, and lifestyles that research had<br />
shown to exist. And marketers wonder why their messages aren’t resonating<br />
with different groups.Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-39472236154772313062012-03-15T15:32:00.000-04:002012-03-15T15:32:28.881-04:00Is your cost cutting leading to low employee morale?Chris Wirthwein, CEO of <a href="http://www.5metacom.com/">5MetaCom</a>, a technical and scientific marketing agency, and the author of <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/brand-busters">Brand Busters</a>, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/brand-busters"></a> writes in the spring 2012 issue of <i>Marketing Management</i> that marketers should not fall into the trap of believing that lowering prices will sell more product. <br />
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He cites several examples, also explained in his book, of products that are sold at a premium price because they have intrinsic value to the customer. He argues that discounts or lower prices have to be considered in the context of profit margins, but also in the context of other effects within a company. <br />
<br />
It seems to us that he has an important point when he writes that a more insidious loss than even the obvious one of revenue is "the effect price cuts can have on everything from employee morale to customer service. When the focus becomes all about cutting the price, employees can become so driven on cutting things out that they lose sight of the things customers appreciate."<br />
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Focused on cost cutting, "companies may forget that they have to invest in research, marketing, merchandising, and customer service innovations, all of which help to sustain a brand and a business." Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-19015998058364720482012-03-02T12:03:00.001-05:002012-03-08T08:15:57.318-05:00Andrea Syverson:Tips for rising above the competition<i>MultiChannel Merchant</i> recently published an <a href="http://multichannelmerchant.com/crosschannel/marketing/syverson-creative-marketing-0215tpp7/">article </a>by Andrea Syverson, author of <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/brand-management/brandabout">BrandAbout!</a>, with four creative ways to rise above the competition. <br />
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1. Tell the stories of your iconic brands.<br />
2. Involve customers in all you do.<br />
3. Keep to a core message for the brand.<br />
4. Tether your customers to your employees. <br />
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As usual, Andrea gives excellent examples from a diverse group of companies. Click <a href="http://multichannelmerchant.com/crosschannel/marketing/syverson-creative-marketing-0215tpp7/">here </a>to see the entire article.Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-88942066238213079862012-02-22T11:30:00.000-05:002012-02-22T11:30:10.513-05:00Is it Marketing or AdvertisingWe aren't trying to pick on Stuart Elliott, advertising columnist at the <i>New York Times</i>, but we noticed an interesting headline, in Tuesday, Feb. 21st's column, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/business/media/marketing-budgets-rise-for-some-giants.html?_r=1&nl=business&emc=ata3">Marketing Budgets Rise for Some Giants</a>.<br />
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For the most part, the article discusses how much more money some consumer products companies will be spending in 2012 on advertising of all types. Most of our authors who are experts in marketing and market research would tell you that money spent on advertising in social media, print media, on television and radio is not marketing. Marketing and market research is what should come before advertising spending decisions are made, and after the advertising money has been spent to see if the campaigns were effective.<br />
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What seems to be a problem is that companies and journalists (especially headline writers) often confuse advertising and marketing, assuming they are one and the same. Companies may budget for marketing when what they are really doing is budgeting for advertising without getting the fundamental research they need to make the best decisions about how to spend their advertising dollars.<br />
<br />
M. Isabel Valdes and the experts who collaborated with her on the book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/hispanic-stategies-business-grow">WIN! the Hispanic Market </a>argue that too little is spent on market research about Hispanics to validate advertising decisions. They also say that much of the Hispanic market passes through the "leaky bucket," with companies not aware of the actual size of the market, again because inadequate resources are allocated to gathering the data needed.<br />
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Similarly, in her forthcoming book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/black-matters-marketing">Black Still Matters in Marketing</a>, Pepper Miller says that much of the research conducted on Blacks is not relevant because researchers don't bother to go where Black consumers are. <br />
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It would be helpful if the terms advertising and marketing were not used interchangeably in the C-suite and the boardroom. Then executives would be able to better understand what their dollars are going for and why they are sometimes not being spent effectively.Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-47404586451921108462012-02-15T10:45:00.001-05:002012-02-15T10:46:08.205-05:00Non-Hispanic managers need to "get it"The mission of PMP's latest release, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/hispanic-stategies-business-grow">WIN! the Hispanic Market: Strategies for Business Growth</a>, is to alert corporate managers and investors to the coming power of the Hispanic market, both in numbers and consumer spending. It also focuses on the concern that consumer market research and data collection in corporations does not record many sales to Hispanics and therefore, corporate managers often do not appreciate just how much of their market is multicultural.<br />
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The book's author, M. Isabel Valdes, is a strong proponent of high quality market research as well as taking an in-culture approach to marketing. She believes marketing in-culture is essential to winning "share of heart" among Hispanics. The contributions to the book of 19 strategic, data, and marketing research experts support her beliefs with cogent examples and suggestions of how data collection can be improved.<br />
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The sad thing, from our point of view, is that most of the early orders for this book are coming from Hispanic managers. The good thing is that the book should help these ethnic managers "sell" their point of view within the companies they work for. But wouldn't it be great if non-Hispanic white managers took the initiative to learn more about this important growing market and how to appeal to it to grow their businesses in the United States?Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-7461134375753615172012-01-06T13:33:00.000-05:002012-01-06T13:33:34.708-05:00Our authors have much to teach usOn a very personal note: The multicultural titles we publish at Paramount Market Publishing are usually written by members of the segment they are writing about, whether they refer to themselves as Hispanic, Latino, Black, or African-American.<br />
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As a White editor, who grew up in a largely Caucasian environment, I find myself profoundly grateful for the insights these authors provide for us. This is especially important in the multicultural world that is now the United States.<br />
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Although some people are extraordinarily uncomfortable with the U.S. as a multicultural society, what we learn from our authors is that the values of other ethnic and racial groups are, for the most part, similar to our own. They believe in the importance of respecting each other and other cultures. They want their children to have a good education and find opportunities for advancement in our world. <br />
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They love their families and want the best for them. And, they want the media to respect their cultures and share good news about their groups as well as the disappointments.<br />
<br />
And, they provide these insights in their books in an authentic, non-judgemental way. They don't whine and complain about the treatment they receive by some other members of our society, but they also don't shy away from topics such as racism that hold them back from their dreams and aspirations.<br />
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Coming up in the first quarter of this year, we have some exceptional books from two of our bestselling authors, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/hispanic-stategies-business-grow">M. Isabel Valdes</a> and <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers/black-matters-marketing">Pepper Miller</a>. You won't want to miss them. And in the second quarter, we'll hear from two new (to us) authors, Teneshia Jackson-Warner and Jeff Burns Jr.<br />
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More about the subjects covered by those new authors later. But in the meantime, take advantage of what you can learn from all of our multicultural authors by going <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/multicultural-consumers">here</a>.Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-33750251531562739922011-12-07T11:28:00.000-05:002011-12-07T11:28:37.842-05:00India doesn't want foreign retailers, but the Far East doesThe New York Times reports today that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/business/global/india-suspends-plan-to-let-in-foreign-retailers.html?ref=business">India has withdrawn </a>its measure to allow foreign retailers to partner with Indian companies and open new stores. <br />
<br />
It's true that <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/india-business">India should be an attractive market whose population</a> is projected to outgrow China's by 2050, but it can be a difficult one. Businesses who want to enter the Indian market need to pay attention to a variety of issues including marketing, demographics, and workforce issues.<a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/india-business"> India Business</a> is a book that outlines many of the opportunities and pitfalls of doing business there.<br />
<br />
If India does not welcome foreign retailers, other regions of the world do, including the Far East. Laurent Sausset's new book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/shopping-behavior-asia">Shopping Behavior in Asia,</a> What Retailers Need to Know for Success in the Far East, is based on surveys of consumers from all the countries in the region and details what steps specific categories of retailers can take to assure their success.Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-25865431278927610012011-12-06T10:53:00.000-05:002011-12-06T10:53:15.939-05:00Experiences will be the winners for this holidayPam Danziger, author of <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/putting-luxe-back-luxury"><i>Putting the Luxe Back in Luxury</i></a> and president of Unity Marketing, is predicting that the affluent and aspirational will be reluctant to indulge in showy luxury items this holiday season. In part, she says, it is a response to the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has made it unpopular to indulge in conspicuous consumption.<br />
<br />
Danziger predicts a continued emphasis on practical gifts such as technology and on experiences.Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596154443889337029.post-85835558477174056362011-12-02T13:11:00.000-05:002011-12-02T13:11:49.633-05:00A book that makes you thinkIn a review in a recent issue of <i>Journal of Product and Brand Management</i> (Vol. 20, Issue 6) , David Bishop, Department of Marketing at the University of Otago in New Zealand says reading Andrea Syverson's book, <a href="http://www.paramountbooks.com/brandabout"><i>BrandAbout. A Seriously Playful Approach for Passionate Brand-Builders and Merchants</i></a> is like "sitting next to and talking to a fellow passenger who is knowledgeable and easy to listen to."<br />
<br />
Bishop calls one of the most important questions asked in the book, "When did we lose sight that first and foremost our customers are complicated human beings just like us?" Syverson "encourages readers to maybe dump things that no longer add value to a brand and "dream" what might be possible. " <br />
<br />
After reviewing the book chapter by chapter, Bishop concludes. "This book is worth reading. It takes about as long to read as a flight from coast to coast in the USA. It will not give you answers, but it will encourage you to think about what might be possible. It might even encourage you not to rush from where you are to where you want to be but to stop off in places, take time out to think about things that you may only otherwise see for a few fleeting seconds from far up too high."Doris Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343625061550687653noreply@blogger.com0